A/N: Here's the next chapter. Apologies for the length in between updates, I was trying to work through parts of the story while having very little time alone to do so. Thank you so much for sticking it out with me. I hope you all find this chapter enjoyable and not too dense. Anyhoo, to all my reviewers and new faves/follows I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It makes me smile to no end. Without further ado, I give you...

Anchored

There was more than one reason Lalo had them stop outside the city for the night. He failed to mention they had a side mission. More than likely because of her insistence on a quick journey, but she didn't bother to ask why when he woke her in the morning.

"Will you live to fight another day?" He'd asked as he stood over her sleeping form. A peculiar question. It wasn't as if she was dying, not yet anyway.

"I imagine so." She said with one eye open, staring into the silhouette of her friend, framed in a halo of light that was slowly starting to rise.

"Good. Get up and eat. We have work to do." He said, tossing her a biscuit.

"Work? I know travel by camel is cumbersome, but I'd hardly call it work." She said ripping off a hunk of the bread and shoving it into her mouth.

"That's not what I mean." He said as he pulled a sword from beneath a blanket draped over one of the camels, and strapped it to his belt.

She tried to get up quickly and winced as she stood causing her to stumble slightly. Lalo hurried to her side but she put her hand up to stay him. She was fine, just more tender than she was expecting. "I wasn't aware we had business here." She uttered through gritted teeth.

"A small detour. To the pyramid." He said pointing into the distance.

"Are we meeting someone?"

"No, merely retrieving an important piece of the puzzle. We should be undisturbed."

"Why the weapons, then?" She asked pointedly.

"Come now, Elizabeth. What is it you are always blathering on about and berating me at every turn when I suggest anything to the contrary?" He asked, pulling her swords from the camel packs.

"My dedication to preparedness is no laughing matter. It has not led me astray thus far." She said with faux haughtiness.

"Care to explain Dubrovnik?" He questioned her meaningfully.

"I wasn't prepared…which only furthers my point on its importance." She added, pointing a finger in his face.

Lalo laughed at her as he handed over her weapons. She took them roughly and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm beginning to not like you very much, dear friend." She said as she gingerly buckled her leather back strap.

"Are you certain you're able?" He asked with the fatherly concern that she so detested.

"I'm certain. Let's go. We are on borrowed time, remember?" She said walking toward the camels.

"And whose fault is that?" Lalo asked before he clucked commands for the camels to kneel down into the sand.

"I don't need a reminder. I'm well aware of what I've done." She grimaced as she mounted the camel. Lalo gave her a meaningful look as she squirmed to find a comfortable position. "Are you going to stand there gawking at me all day?" She asked flustered.

He shook his head as he climbed atop his humped steed. Each camel stood and with gentle urging from their riders, the beasts were in full stride upon the desert sands heading toward the pyramids.

—

It had been three days since The Black Pearl had left Jack in Alexandria's harbor and he was no closer to locating Elizabeth. The harbor master had made note of a wisp of thing that looked bloody well near death, but couldn't tell Jack the direction she had gone. So he made his way into the brothels and taverns and spoke with street merchants, none of whom had seen a woman near death parading through the streets. Jack was ready to give up when he came upon a man selling camels.

"You are looking for someone, yes?" The man asked Jack.

"Yes."

"A woman, slender as I've heard described, departed several days ago atop one of my camels. She was not near death as you say, but she was gravely injured. Her and her companion were very mysterious, but paid double what the camels were worth."

"Her companion?" Jack asked in surprise.

"Tall man, dark skin, tribal markings." The man said plainly.

"Did they say where they were heading?"

"I do not ask such things." the man continued to tend to his camel.

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, did you happen to see what direction they rode off?"

"If I had to guess, it would appear they were heading toward Cairo."

"How much?"

"How much for what?" The man looked up, confusion adorning his features.

"The camel?"

"She is not for sale.

"Do you have others?"

"Yes, but they are too young for travel."

"Can you at least point me in the direction of a camel that is for sale."

"I cannot."

Jack turned to walk away, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"But I can point you in the direction of a horse."

—

The pyramid before them loomed high into the sky, not as tall as the center structure nearly identical to it, but tall enough to be intimidating. The sun was above them now, and the heat was ever increasing, the air had become stifling. Elizabeth tied the camels to a hitching post while Lalo inspected the premises.

The entrance to the Pyramid was set between two tall pillars with a large granite block across the top. It wasn't elegant and if you blinked you would miss it entirely. The main passage way was blocked by a large block of sandstone. At first glance, it appeared immovable. Lalo attempted to slide it left, then right. He tried to push it forward with minimal luck. He looked around for a hidden latch or switch akin to ones adorning the temple in Peru, but none could be found. Elizabeth watched as she leaned against one of the pillars.

"Do you even know what you're looking for?" Elizabeth asked, the irony thick in her tone.

"He told me to come here, and the rest would fall into place."

Elizabeth sensed there was something he wasn't saying. "Do you ever think he's just playing with us because he can?"

"No. But instead of standing there skeptical, maybe you could help me?"

"I don't see how I can be of any help. I've no strength, and clearly we need to break down the door." She offered.

"A fresh set of eyes then, maybe you will see something that I cannot."

"Very well." Elizabeth walked toward the opening and haphazardly drew her gaze across the stones. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. She pressed her face against the wall to see if there was an indentation she missed and as she drew her hand up to the wall to support her weight, something unbelievable happened. A line of ancient hieroglyphs lit up beneath her palm, a great boom and a cloud of dust surrounded the door way as the stone moved back with a thunk and slid open. Mouth agape, Elizabeth stared into the abyss ahead of them. "What now?" She whispered to Lalo.

"We go forth." He whispered back, completely surprised by the unfolding events. A realization hit him, suspicion that had been forming in his mind for some time, but he had refused to believe the truth of it.

As Elizabeth passed the threshold, the walls were suddenly alight with torches. Hieroglyphs and pictorial reliefs adorned the walls, telling a sort of story. She stopped short and faced the wall, running her hands along the pictures. "Can you read them?" She asked.

"No, but I know what story they tell." Lalo said softly. There was something in his voice that Elizabeth couldn't quite place.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"I don't think you really wish to know." He turned his face away from her.

"Lalo, you know me better than that." She laughed.

"You already know too much for your own good, perhaps you should leave it lie."

"Please." She pleaded, her hand had come to grip his shirt sleeve tightly.

"Now is not the time." He dismissed her.

"Lalo." She pulled on his arm again.

Lalo heaved a heavy sigh and spoke "In the beginning there was Chaos, Gaea, and Eros. From Chaos was born two children, brother and sister, darkness and night…Erebus and Nyx."

"Erebus" Elizabeth whispered to herself with a small shudder, remembering the name.

"Erebus was darkness and death, the place between earth and the eternal damnation of the underworld. Nyx was a shadow of the night and a being of exceptional power and beauty and it was she who stood at the beginning of creation to bring forth all of the things that dwell in the darkness waiting to haunt mankind: Death, Fate, Doom, Sleep, Dreams, and Nightmares. Together the two of them ruled over the universe."

Elizabeth listened intently as she followed his story among the pictures, depicting what he described in a beautiful mosaic. She was entranced by the colors and images that seemed to spring forth in her mind and along the wall while in the back of her mind the name Erebus pulsated against her skull. They walked slowly down the corridor as Lalo continued.

"Eros brought love into the universe. And who would have guessed that a love would grow between brother and sister? Their union soon bore surprising fruit: Aether and Hemera, The Heavens and Day, and with them balance and order. Then Gaea, goddess of the earth created Uranus to be her husband. The two of them gave brith to the Titans, and the rest is history. The primordial deities, they were called. Every creation myth is based upon their existence."

Lalo stopped his story there, but the pictures went on in a decidedly violent and unfriendly manner.

"I suspect there's more. Hardly a story worth the frown that is plastered to your face." She said pointedly.

Lalo rolled his eyes. "The creation of Uranus would be the very unraveling of the first Gods. Amidst a small power struggle between the primal gods, he demanded rule of the Universe. Reluctantly, Nyx and Erebus granted his wish. Uranus was a cruel ruler. He hated his children, fearful they would threaten his power and so, banished them all to Tartarus, a hellish prison in the underworld, all except for Cronus. Cronus would go on to kill his father and rule among the gods. Fearing his own children would do the same, Cronus ate each and every one of his offspring save for one whom his wife saved and kept hidden on a secret isle."

"Zeus." Elizabeth answered.

Lalo looked at Elizabeth surprised.

"I studied some greek mythology." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Yes, well, by the time Zeus ruled the heavens and the earth, the universe was at odds with itself. Chaos was unhappy with the way the gods commingled with mortals, granting them power whenever they saw fit and without reason. Meanwhile Zeus grew ever fearful and paranoid that the old Gods would take his power away. A war erupted."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. The story taking a familiar shape.

"Zeus and the Olympians against The Primal Entities, it was a battle that could have lasted for an eternity. Until the winds of fate blew, dealing a crushing blow. Zeus discovered how to destroy the old gods and soon after he targeted the most powerful among them."

"Chaos?"

"Nyx. The act threw Erebus and Chaos into a fitful rage, and they sought to destroy everything. Knowing the Olympians' weakness for the mortal realm, Chaos chose a mortal man to spy upon them and carry out their punishment. Zeus was not as stupid as Chaos believed and created his own mortal warrior to send into battle. Only it didn't go quite as planned. The mortal man Chaos sent was no mortal at all but, Erebus in human form and the warrior who thought he was victorious did not kill him, but merely weakened him, sending him to a dormant state for a time. Little of that mattered, however. By the end everything was destroyed, including Chaos. Power was split and hidden all over the earth, and the olympians would slip into the shadows to make way for the time of men."

They reached the last picture and Elizabeth stared at it curiously. The top half showed the symbol that was burned into her wrist rising above flames, light shining in every direction and beneath it was darkness. She reached out with her hand and grazed her fingertips along the stones.

"It is said that before Chaos exhaled his last breath, he vowed his children would return to take vengeance upon the world, upon the Olympians, and upon their pets, and thus the prophecy was born. Though, I'll admit, the version that you were told has been greatly skewed over the centuries."

Elizabeth darted her eyes toward Lalo in knowing disbelief. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. She began to shake, her limbs tensing, struggling somewhere in between rage and terror. Her eyebrows knitted together. "So I'm…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question. "That man…in Norway…the one I…Gregor…he called me that…and Christian..."

"You are who you are, Elizabeth. I had my doubts. I didn't think it was possible, but when you opened the Pyramid, I knew. You have something very powerful asleep inside of you and when we reach Christian in Singapore, you will be awakened. Only one piece of the puzzle remains and then the chest can be opened."

"The chest? But I thought…all this time, we've been giving him more and more power…"

"For you, my dear. For the world."

"A world he would see destroyed. For vengeance."

"Not so. You will see. All will be made clear, I promise. For now, we must get what we came for and leave with all haste. There is one who yet stands in our way." Lalo turned and headed into the chamber that lay ahead of them, disappearing into the darkness.

"Jack." She exhaled and paused for a moment before chasing after Lalo. "You lied to me. He lied to me. It was all a ruse, a trap. What was the point of all the secrecy, the thinly veiled notions of purpose and the greater good if my fate was to be written from the beginning?"

"Would you have come if you knew the truth? If you knew he had set the pieces in motion for Teague, Jack and the rest to ensure your arrival in Peru, would you have stayed?"

"No." She replied honestly barely above a whisper.

"That is why. There is still a purpose at stake. To return the rule of the world to its rightful place. There was peace before and there will be peace again and you are at the center."

"What is it you get out of this? Why help him?" She added finding her voice, edged and hardened.

"Loyalty will always be rewarded." He shrugged and turned to approach the sarcophagus in the center of the chamber.

Elizabeth watched as Lalo stood over the tomb, whispering words in a sort of silent prayer and running his hands along the top. "Are we to be grave robbers as well?" She asked sardonically, but made no move to stop him.

Lalo smiled at her cheekily, pulled out his knife and pried the lid open. A cloud of dust and smoke billowed out and around them as he pushed the lid to the floor.

"Who was he?" Elizabeth asked peering at the mummified remains inside the tomb.

"She. A past life. A failed attempt." He said picking up a jar that had a baboon's head carved out of the top. The crescent moon and stars were carved into the body of the jar. "She's you."

"Me?! That's not possible."

"Possible and true. Not your most recent incarnation, no, but it's been quite awhile since we had a candidate as promising as you."

"Why?" She asked.

"He had not enough power and some candidates turn out not to be candidates at all."

It was disconcerting to Elizabeth how casually Lalo explained everything, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to talk about someone's past life and personified mystical, ethereal beings responsible for creating the earth. She hesitated before speaking again. "What's in the jar?"

"Lungs. The breath of life." He said holding up the jar into the torch light.

Elizabeth stuck out her tongue in a very Jack like manner. "Sorry I asked."

"Anything else?" Lalo raised an eyebrow at her.

Elizabeth looked at the tomb out of the corner of her eye. "When you say failed attempt…actually, never mind. I don't want to know."

Lalo laughed heartily. "Your curiosity has finally reached its end? Now that's not possible."

"Ha, bloody ha." She crossed her arms and looked down her nose at him. "Are we done here?"

"Yes."

"Let's go, then. I don't fancy standing next to my deceased past self any longer."

"As you wish." He continued to chuckle as he led them out of the pyramid.

—

Jack reached Cairo after a grueling three days. The horse he stole had to be rested every few hours because of the intense heat. Not to say that he wasn't grateful for the rest as well. His current attire was not suited to the desert at all. He hated land travel. He wandered the city streets and could find no sign of Elizabeth or her "companion".

He pulled out his compass and the needle swung away from Cairo and pointed south east. With a grumble, he approached the nearest vendor and asked him what was south east of Cairo. Suez, the man answered. Another day's ride. Jack thanked him by purchasing a sort of sash and a cloak. He removed his coat and stuffed it into his saddle bag, wrapped the scarf around his face, pulled the hood of the cloak up over his head, mounted his horse and rode on.

—

Elizabeth and Lalo made it to Suez by nightfall. A lone ship bobbed on the ocean in front of them. Elizabeth practically squealed in delight when she felt the spray of the ocean on the wind. Lalo had dismounted and approached what she assumed was the Captain. She watched closely as what started as friendly conversation turned quickly to raised voices and Lalo stormed back toward Elizabeth.

"We're docked for the night." He said removing the bags from the camel and throwing them to the ground with little delicacy.

"What do you mean?" She asked perplexed.

"He won't sail tonight. There's a storm on the horizon and blood on the moon."

"Of all the superstitious nonsense, I'll sail the damn ship." She started to march toward the man when Lalo grabbed her by the arm.

"There's no use arguing. We can board and get settled, but I'm afraid we are anchored until further notice."

Elizabeth grabbed her bags and marched passed Lalo muttering under her breath. "We could just commander the ship, you know?"

"He is of the order. We don't steal from our own." Lalo said, picking up his bags.

"Of course he is." She muttered again.

He laughed as he followed closely behind her.

—

The storm raged on for three days. The wind whipped furiously and the ship rocked so violently in the harbor, Elizabeth was certain the vessel was going to break loose of the anchor. They were confined to the hold as the blowing sands above made seeing and breathing, for that matter, impossible. It was a good thing she didn't pursue the matter of their departure any further, or they would certainly have been ripped to shreds by the towering waves of the Red Sea.

"How long do storms like this usually last?" Elizabeth asked the Captain.

The Captain responded in a tongue Elizabeth didn't recognize. Lalo provided the translation. "He says anywhere from a few days to a few weeks."

"Great." Elizabeth said flatly.

—

Never in all his life, had Jack been so happy to have purchased clothing. The sandstorm surrounding him was nearly unbearable. If it wasn't for the fabric covering his face, he'd be sure to have asphyxiated upon the whirling granules. The horse beneath him was struggling to stay upright and soon collapsed beneath him. It was no matter to him. Jack could smell the salt in the air. He was close to the shore.

Grabbing his bag from the horse, he used it to shield his face as he trudged along against the strong gusts of wind.

—

When he finally reached the water, the wind had died down considerably and the sand merely swirled around him as opposed to violently pelting him the way it had earlier. One ship rocked back and forth upon the tempestuous waters in the harbor, ready to pull the dock out to sea along with it. As far as Jack could tell, not a soul was out on deck. All the better for him. He threw his bag upon the deck and climbed up after it. The deck was empty just as he thought. The crew was more than likely below, riding out the storm. He stowed himself inside of a longboat, covering himself with canvas and drifting off to sleep.

—

The storm passed after another day and they set sail for Singapore. Elizabeth wandered to the bow of the ship and looked out over the water. Lalo walked and stood next to her.

"Are you still up for this?" he asked her, eyeing her meaningfully.

"I'm not sure what 'this' is anymore." Her eyes never left the ocean

"Do you still feel your destiny pulling you from the center out?"

"I feel something, but I'm not sure I would describe it in that way." She smirked.

"It will be beautiful. You'll see." Lalo said before leaving her alone with her thoughts.

—

Jack woke to the steady sway of the ship at sea and peered over the edge of the longboat. The ship was alive with movement and he hoped they would have no need for his humble quarters as they ventured forth. A flash of golden hair caught the corner of his vision as Elizabeth walked passed his hiding spot on her way to the bow of the ship. His breath caught at the sight of her. He hadn't imagined he was lucky enough to have happened upon her ship. Jack continued to watch her as she stared contemplatively out into the horizon. In that moment, she appeared the same to him: the wild governor's daughter turned pirate king who dreamed of adventure on the high seas. So far from the cold assassin he'd bore witness to just a month or so before, and yet there was still something in the way she held her body that betrayed her: fear.